With lip service, Xi Jinping finally congratulated his old friend Joe Biden on his victory.
The Chinese president waited three weeks to send a succinct message of congratulations to the future White House host, but still hasn't picked up his phone to greet him verbally.
The leader of the second world power immediately urged his future counterpart to adopt a
"spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation"
and
"mutual respect", in
order to
"manage differences"
, to promote
"world peace"
, in a message of a few lines sent on November 25.
This delay and the formal coldness of the missive contrast with the eagerness of Xi in 2016, who telephoned Donald Trump the day after his surprise victory, on November 9.
This procrastination first betrays Beijing's tactical desire to spare an injured outgoing president, who refuses to admit defeat, and could inflict more unpredictable blows on the resurgent Asian giant,
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